1. Field of Invention
The subject invention is generally related to safety and surveillance equipment for aircraft and is specifically directed to a comprehensive multi-media recording and playback system for commercial aircraft wherein both data and video images may be collected, monitored, transmitted, stored and replayed for event reconstruction.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Aircraft safety is of ever increasing importance. This is particularly true with respect to commercial airlines as more and more people and freight are moved in this manner. The airways are becoming increasingly crowded with traffic. Global tracking systems are now in place to monitor the flight of the aircraft from the moment it lifts off until it safely lands at its destination. Radar and global positioning systems are commonplace both on the aircraft and at the ground tracking stations. All of these electronic systems have increased the overall safety record of commercial traffic to new standards as the number of miles flown continues to escalate at an alarming pace.
In addition, the on board avionics including electronic monitoring and diagnostic equipment, particularly on large commercial jets, continues to evolve, giving both the on board crew and the tracking station more complete, accurate and up to date information regarding the condition of the aircraft while in flight. Flight recorders long have been incorporated in order to provide a record of each flight and in order to provide critical information to aid in the determination of the causes of an accident or malfunction should one occur.
Even with all of this information, there still remains a significant need to develop a system capable of providing good visual evidence of the condition of the aircraft and various components during flight. For example, even with all of the available electronic monitoring equipment, the crew of the aircraft can only make a visual inspection of a wing engine by looking out of the window. In many aircraft configurations, this requires that the crew member move into the passenger cabin in order to obtain a view of the engine. Further, with the increasing incidents of terrorism and other tampering with aircraft, a good visual surveillance system would give instant recognition of known terrorists and would provide visual inspection of critical areas and components of the aircraft while in flight, without detection by either the passengers or by possible perpetrators.
Such a system would also permit the recording of visual information to provide a visual history of the flight, further enhancing reconstruction of incidents leading to an airborne catastrophe should one occur. Visual information could also be transmitted between the ground tracking station and the aircraft, providing yet another source of information transmission for increasing the overall safety of the flight.
While such a system would be of great benefit to the airline industry in general and to the commercial airlines in particular, there are no systems currently available which meet these needs.
The subject invention is directed to a recording and playback system wherein multiple data and images are multiplexed and sequenced utilizing split screen technology in order to minimize the recording and monitoring hardware required to process the images in order to provide a detailed record of the time of an event, the altitude and geographic location of the aircraft and the type and location of the event within the aircraft, greatly enhancing event reconstruction efforts. The system is a comprehensive multi-media safety and surveillance system, which in the preferred form provides both visual and audio information as well as critical data to the flight crew, and to a ground tracking station, and also permits recording the information and data generated during flight for archival purposes and for later playback, particularly useful in reconstructing catastrophic events. In its preferred form, a plurality of sensor units, including at least one video image sensor/device, are placed strategically throughout the aircraft. For example, several video cameras may be placed such that the lens of each is aimed through an opening provided in the fuselage in order to provide video imaging of the engines, tail section, and landing gear and other functional components of the aircraft. Additional cameras may be placed throughout the interior of the aircraft on the flight deck, in the cargo hold, in passenger cabin and other desired spaces. The data sensors/transducers, such as by way of example, the engine temperature sensor, oil pressure and hydraulic pressure sensors and strain gauges and the like are also incorporated in the data collection system of the subject invention.
The system may be hardwired in the aircraft, or may use wireless transmission and receiving systems. The wireless system is particularly useful for adapting the system as a retrofit on existing aircraft and also provides assurances against disruption of data transmission and collection during a catastrophic airframe failure. In the preferred embodiment, the wireless system is fully self-contained with each sensor unit having an independent power supply and where appropriate, a sensor light source. The ground link, monitoring and recording systems for collecting and transmitting the data are also self-contained. This assures that the system will continue to operate in the event of either a malfunction or a structural failure of the aircraft causing a disruption in power source or will not disrupt the generation and collection of data and visual images.
A monitor may be provided on the flight deck and recorders may be placed in the tail section, as is common for flight data and voice recorders currently in use. The flight deck would have instant live access to all of the images as they are captured by the video cameras and the recorder would make an historic record of the images for archive purposes. Where random access recording techniques are used, such as, by way of example, digital random access memory storage devices, the flight deck and for the ground station may also be able to search and retrieve stored information. For example, current hydraulic pressure of a component may be compared with the pressure of a past point in time to monitor rate of change.
Where desired, ground tracking or control stations would have selective access to the images on a near or real time basis. In addition, the ground station could send video images to the aircraft flight deck monitors on a selective basis. That is, the ground tracking station will have the capability of interrogating the in flight data, including video images, while the aircraft is in flight. Near real time data can be received and historical data can be retrieved, as well, when the random access storage device is utilized.
The plurality of sensors are synchronized through an on board multiplexing system whereby the plurality of data, including visual image data, may be displayed, recorded, and/or transmitted in either a split screen or serial fashion. In the preferred embodiment, the system is adapted for incorporating the data signal generated by the aircraft navigational data such as that provided by the on board global positioning system for tracking the altitude, latitude and longitude coordinates synchronized with the collected data in order to provide accurate information of where the aircraft is in its flight plan when an incident occurs. A time or chronology signal may also be incorporated in the data scheme. Any signal which is capable of being captured and stored may be monitored in this manner. For example, radar images which are currently displayed on a monitor can also be transmitted to the ground and can be stored in the record of the A black box recording system on board the aircraft. Transducer signals monitoring pressure system and engine components are also be collected for transmission and storage. Data generated by image sensors ranging from analog video cameras to digital cameras to infrared sensors and the like can collected and distributed by the system. The system is particularly well suited for use in combination with forward linking infrared (FLIR) cameras, such as available from Texas Instruments, for producing visual images in adverse weather conditions such as heavy fog. This would be particularly useful in determining the flight path of the aircraft, both on board and for later retrieval when incidents occur in low visibility conditions. Therefore, the system of the subject invention provides a comprehensive multi-media data capture, display, transmission and storage surveillance system for the aircraft while in flight, with data readily accessible to both the flight crew and a ground tracking station.
Preferably, the entire capture, retrieval, monitor and archive system is installed utilizing a wireless transmitting/receiving system in order to assure that transmission will not be lost in the event of a power shutdown or a structural failure causing possible open circuit conditions which could occur in a hard wired system. In the preferred embodiment, such a system would be completely self-contained with an integrated power supply and an integrated illumination system. The illumination system would provide lighting to permit capture of images in the event the aircraft power system fails.
Such a system would be of invaluable service to the flight crew and the ground tracking station, providing visual indication of such information as the operation of the landing gear, for example, or of an engine smoke condition, or of the presence of smoke or fire in the cargo hold. In addition, the system provides instant visual access to conditions in the passenger cabin or in the cargo hold. In addition, the ground station could relay video information directly to the crew in the event of certain conditions. For example, if a terrorist or terrorist group were on board, the ground crew would have access to visual information indicating the conditions in the passenger cabin and cockpit. This would permit the ground crew to ascertain the number of terrorists on board, the types of weapons carried and visual identification of the individuals without any communication from the flight crew and without any flight crew action. Such information is invaluable in determining the best course of action for dealing with such a crisis. Further, critical visual information can be transmitted to the flight crew for assisting the crew in dealing with the situation.
Of course, it is an important aspect of the invention that all of the collected data, including any video images, be recorded on a flight recorder to provide an historic video record of the flight. This will prove invaluable as an aid in reconstructing the cause of catastrophic occurrences during a flight.
In the preferred embodiment, the system includes a plurality of strategically located video image sensors such as, by way of example, analog video cameras synchronized by a master synchronizing source, each camera adapted for transmitting the synchronized video signal to a multiplexer for distributing the signal to video monitors on board the aircraft and archival recorders on board the aircraft. The system also includes audio sensors and component monitoring sensor devices. The system is adapted for selectively transmitting all of the data on a near real time basis to a ground tracking station. The system is adapted to provide the monitors access to serial, synchronized full screen view of each of the cameras, in sequence, or alternatively to provide split screen viewing of a plurality of cameras. The system may be hardwired or wireless transmission may be utilized to further minimize the possibility of a malfunction at the onset of a catastrophic occurrence.
It is, therefore, an object and feature of the subject invention to provide a comprehensive, multi-media data collection, storage and playback system for aircraft.
It is an additional object and feature of the subject invention to provide a video record of critical components and areas of an aircraft during flight for archival and retrieval purposes.
It is yet another object and feature of the subject invention to provide apparatus for permitting ground personnel to receive video images, audio information and data relating to critical components and areas of and aircraft during flight.
It is a further object and feature of the subject invention to provide accurate information of where the aircraft is during a flight path when a specific visually captured image occurs.
It is also an object and feature of the subject invention to provide a system for linking recorded video images with an inertial navigation system such or other navigational data source such as, by way of example, a global positioning system for archival purposes.
It is still another object and feature of the invention to permit the monitoring, storing and retrieval of any of a variety of video images, audio signals and performance data by the tracking, surveillance and imaging equipment on board the aircraft.
Other objects and features of the subject invention will be readily apparent from the accompanying drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiments.